Irish boy band Boyzone faced widespread criticism after their long-awaited farewell concerts at London's Emirates Stadium over the weekend. The shows, the group's first in nearly seven years, were described by fans and critics as a hot mess, with issues ranging from a missing member to cheap AI-generated visuals.
Missing Member and Awkward Moments
The group had promoted the concerts as featuring all four surviving members: Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy, and Mikey Graham. However, fans were shocked to see a three-piece Boyzone take the stage without Graham. The remaining members reportedly did not acknowledge his absence as they greeted the crowd.
Eight songs into the set, Graham finally joined his bandmates for a three-song performance, dressed in black and seated on a stool. Footage shared on social media showed that not all bandmates appeared to acknowledge him, fueling rumors of a rift within the group. One fan on X questioned, 'Why did Mikey Graham not do the full show? He came out half way through for 3 songs and just sat there? What's the reason?'
Others defended Graham, who has been open about his struggles with depression and alcohol abuse. 'As someone who suffers from mental health issues I can totally sympathise with how hard this must have been for Mikey. So proud of him. Just a shame that all three of them couldn't acknowledge him,' one fan wrote. Another added, 'He really doesn't look well bless him.' Graham disappeared again after those three songs, returning only for the final number, 13 songs later.
AI Visuals and Poor Reviews
The concert's production also drew harsh criticism. The Telegraph gave the show a brutal one-star review, calling it 'breathtaking in its awfulness' and slamming the 'unforgivably cheap' use of AI-generated videos as backdrops. Reviewer Rob Fitzpatrick noted a 'distinct lack of charisma' and described the visuals as 'the sort of doughy AI slop you'd be disappointed to see on a wall-mounted TV in a dentist's waiting room.'
Low Ticket Sales and Odd Ending
Reports indicated that at least one of the concerts was far from sold out, with tickets sold for as little as £2.50 ($4.73) the day before. One fan complained, 'Paid over £1,000 to come over and see Boyzone from Ireland. Emirates Stadium wasn't even half full, people were getting tickets for less than £5. Shambles.'
The concert ended on a puzzling note after a 25-song set. While Boyzone has 18 top 10 hits in the UK, including six number ones, the final song was Keating's solo hit 'Life Is A Rollercoaster,' with his bandmates relegated to backing singers.
